Turkey confirms attacks on PKK militant camps in Iraq

ANKARA – Turkish fighter jets launched attacks on camps of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq overnight, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday, in what is likely to be a major blow to the stalled Kurdish peace process.

Ground forces hit the PKK as well as Islamic State fighters in northern Syria, it said, as part of Ankara’s campaign to take a prominent role in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamist militant group.

The air strikes hit PKK targets in several locations, targeting warehouses, “logistic points”, living quarters and storage buildings, it said.

The attack will likely deal a blow to the fragile peace process with the Kurds that was started in late 2012.

Turkey launched its first-ever air attack against Islamic State targets in Syria early on Friday, promising more decisive action against both the jihadists and Kurdish militants.

Turkish broadcasters later reported a second round of air strikes against Islamic State and the PKK shortly before midnight on Friday. -Reuters